Share this:

Week 14 has arrived and for many leagues and owners this means it is playoff time.

From here on, the regular season means nothing. There’s just one goal: be crowned champion. So let’s take a look at two players who have had major effects on fantasy teams this season and a few things to keep in mind when setting your roster this week.

(AP)

(REUTERS)

As I mentioned earlier on this season, Steve Slaton has been nothing short of a bust. Slaton was projected to be a top 10 back this season and was expected to be drafted in either the first or second round depending on how many teams were in your league. If you were one of the many owners who took the Texans running back, you can find solace in the fact that his stock will drop significantly next season, and here is why.

Slaton was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list earlier this week by Texans head coach Gary Kubiak due to a nerve injury that left him with numbness in his thumb. In a way, this is probably beneficial to fantasy owners who started Slaton week in and week out based on his status as a top-20 pick this season because he has underperformed.

He was averaging a mere 3.3 yards per carry (down from 4.8 YPC in 2008), had not had a single 100-yard rushing game (five 100+ games in 2008) and had only been able to find the end zone three times this season rushing the ball (nine TDs in 2008).

In addition to Slaton’s lackluster production when he was running the ball, he also developed an issue with holding the rock, fumbling seven times this season, with five resulting in turnovers.

Slaton showed he had the ability to be an explosive back in 2008, and hopefully he can make a full recovery from this nerve injury and become a fantasy impact again in 2010.

Joining Slaton on the short list of first-round disappointments this season is Bears RB Matt Forte.

Forte, like Slaton, was projected to be an early round pick after an impressive rookie season with the Bears. When looking at his numbers this season, Forte’s production seems to have suffered greatly due to the addition of Jay Cutler to the Bears’ offense.

Forte owners have watched his YPC drop half a yard to 3.4 YPC as well as his YPG plummet nearly 25 yards to 52.8 in 2009.

These numbers wouldn’t be terrible if Forte was finding the end zone with the same ease as his rookie season, but much like the rest of his Bears, scoring is at a premium this season. Forte only has four TDs this season, and all of them have been on the ground. To illustrate the drastic dropoff, through 13 weeks last season, Forte had 10 total TDs (six rushing, four receiving). Forte will look to finish his 2009 campaign strong, and make a case as a top-15 running back entering 2010.

Saint Robert:

WR Robert Meachem seems to be lost in the discussion regarding the Saints high-octane offense, but he has been and will remain to be a fantasy factor in 2009. Meachem has scored in each of his past five games, including two multi-score games (one on a freak fumble recovery), making him a pretty solid play this week against a weak Atlanta secondary.

More Smash Less Dash:

Their appears to be a shift in the Panthers two-headed rushing monster with DeAngelo Williams suffering from an ankle injury. Williams has been productive this season, but the recent injury and time sharing should be cause for concern.

He hasn’t carried the ball more than 20 times since Week 9 and may miss his second straight game this week. Jonathan Stewart has filled in admirably for Williams last week, rushing for 120 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of an even split between “Smash and Dash” for the rest of the season.